Conventionally, in a program information displaying apparatus for displaying a program guide of a TV, etc., some apparatuses allowing capable of easily confirming a program that the users are interested in have been known.
For example, a Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-187324 [H04N 5/44, H04H 7/00, H04N 5/262] (Patent Document 1) discloses that program information is searched according to the condition, such as a fee for a program, a genre, a residence, an objective gender, an objective age, etc., and the search result is displayed within the program guide as user-specified-channel (my channel). In a case that a plurality of program information in the same time slot satisfy the search condition, a plurality of my channels are displayed. Furthermore, this also discloses that the program selected as a search result may be discriminated from the programs which have not been selected with change in color or font.
Additionally, in a Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-119639 [H04N 5/445, 7/173] (Patent Document 2) discloses that when a user view a program guide and makes a specific check with respect to the program that he or she is interested in, the checked program is displayed at a specific area (“My program” display area) of the program guide.
However, in the above-described patent documents 1 and 2, the program that the user searches or checks is displayed in an area different from the program guide, and this causes problems that a further space for display is required, and a displayable range of the program guide is narrowed. Furthermore, there is a problem that it is difficult to intuitively know the correspondence, such as at which position of the program guide the program that the user searches or checks is positioned. It should be noted that the Patent Document 1 discloses that the program that the user searches may be displayed so as to be discriminated from the other programs by changing a color or font, but if a plurality of users perform searches or checks, it fails to disclose how to display them.
Therefore, it is a primary object of certain example embodiments to provide a novel program information displaying program and a novel program information displaying apparatus.
Another object of certain example embodiments is to provide a program information displaying program and a program information displaying apparatus capable depicting each program information on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in the program information.
Other object of certain example embodiments is to provide a program information displaying program and a program information displaying apparatus capable of readily displaying the user information registered in the program information.
Certain example embodiments employ the following features in order to solve the above-described problems. It should be noted that reference numerals and the supplements inside the parentheses show one example of a corresponding relationship with the embodiments described later for easy understanding of certain embodiments, and do not limit the present invention.
A first embodiment is a storage medium storing a program information displaying program so as to be read by a computer of a program information displaying apparatus which displays a plurality of program information in tabular form, and the program information displaying program causes a computer to execute a priority setting step, a user information registering step, and a depicting step. The priority setting step sets respective priorities of a plurality of user information. The user information registering step makes a registration of any one of the plurality of user information with respect to any one of the plurality of program information. The depicting step depicts each program information on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in the program information.
In the first embodiment, a program information displaying program is executed by a computer (40, 42b) of a program information displaying apparatus (10, 12) to display a plurality of program information in tabular form, that is, as a program guide. The plurality of program information displayed as a program guide are shared by a plurality of users. For example, user information, such as an account of each user is registered and stored. In a priority setting step (S1, S7-S11), respective priorities of a plurality of user information are set. For example, a priority table showing priorities of the respective user information is generated. In a user information registering step (S13-S15), a registration of any one of the plurality of user information is made with respect to any one of the plurality of program information. For example, user information is registered in the program information that the user is interested in by an operation of the user, and program registration data in which the program information and the registered user information are associated with each other is generated. In a depicting step (S19), each program information is depicted on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in the program information. The priority of the user information registered in each program information is grasped on the basis of the registered program data and the priority table, for example. By this depicting, the program information in which the registered user information is represented on the basis of the priorities is displayed.
According to the first embodiment, the program information in which the user information is registered is depicted on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in this program information, and therefore, the user information registered in each program information are depicted in this program information on the basis of the priorities. Furthermore, in the plurality of program information displayed in tabular form, each program information is depicted on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in this program information, and therefore, it is possible to readily display the user information registered in the program information.
A second embodiment is a storage medium according to the first embodiment, and the program information displaying program causes the computer to further execute a user information displaying step for displaying the plurality of user information as a plurality of corresponding icons. The priority setting step includes a determining step for determining whether or not any one of the plurality of icons is designated, and a priority changing step for changing the priority such that the priority of the user information respectively corresponding to the designated icon is made highest when the determining step determines that any one of the icons is designated.
In the second embodiment, in a user information displaying step (S3, S83), a plurality of icons (800) respectively corresponding to the plurality of user information are displayed. In a determining step (S7), it is determined whether or not any one of the plurality of icons is designated. For example, the determination is performed on the basis of the display position data of the icons and input data by the user, to specify the icon designated by the user. In a priority changing step (S9-S11), the priority is changed such that the priority of the user information corresponding to the designated icon is the highest. Thus, in a depicting step, the program information is depicted on the basis of the changed priority.
According to the second embodiment, it is possible to change the priority of the user information. Specifically, by instructing or designating the icon corresponding to the user information, the priority of the user information is changed to be the highest, so that, it is possible to change the priority of desired user information so as to become the highest. Accordingly, by changing the priority of the user information in response to the icon being designated, it is possible to give a change to the display of the program information in which this user information is registered, and it is possible for the user to easily know that in which program information the desired user information is registered.
A third embodiment is a storage medium according to the first or the second embodiment, different display manners are respectively set to the plurality of user information, and the depicting step depicts the program information in the display manner determined on the basis of the priority of the user information.
Here, different display manners are set to respective user information. In a depicting step (S67, S75-S77), the program information is depicted in the display manner determined on the basis of the priority of the user information. Thus, it is possible to display the program information having the display manner on the basis of the priority of the registered user information.
Accordingly, by the display manner of the program information, it is possible to represent the registered user information, and moreover realize a display according to the priority of this registered user information.
A fourth embodiment is a storage medium according to the third embodiment, and the display manner is a color or a design.
Here, different colors or designs are set to respective user information. Accordingly, the program information is depicted in color or design on the basis of the priorities of the user information. Accordingly, by the color or the design of the program information, it is possible to readily display the registered user information on the basis of the priorities.
A fifth embodiment is a storage medium according to the third or the fourth embodiments, and the depicting step depicts the program information in the display manner set to the user information with the highest priority out of the user information registered in the program information.
In certain example embodiments, in a depicting step (S67), the program information in which the user information is registered is depicted in the display manner set to the user information with the highest priority. Thus, it is possible to easily confirm the registration condition of the user information with the highest priority by the display manner of the program information, such as a color, a design, a font, etc. In addition, in combination of the second embodiment, the priority of the user information corresponding to the designated icon is changed so as to become the highest, and therefore, when a desired icon is designated, the program information in which the user information corresponding to this icon is registered is depicted in the display manner set to this user information. Thus, by changing the user information to be designated, it is possible to switch and display the registration condition of the user information with the highest priority, which allows the user to easily know the registration condition of the desired user information.
A sixth embodiment is a storage medium according to the fourth embodiment, and the depicting step depicts the program information such that the display manners set to the respective user information are layered in order of the priority of the user information registered in the program information.
In the sixth embodiment, in a depicting step (S75-S77), the program information in which user information are registered is depicted such that the display manners set to the respective user information are layered in order of the priority of the user information registered in the program information. Thus, by the colors or the designs being made up of layered body as a display manner at the program information, it is easily confirm how many user information is registered in this program information, and it is also possible to easily confirm the priorities of the respective user information by a layering order of the colors or designs.
A seventh embodiment is a storage medium according to the fourth embodiment, and the program information displaying program causes the computer to further execute a depicting method selecting step for selecting a depicting method of the program information. The depicting step depicts the program information in the display manner set to the user information with the highest priority out of the user information registered in the program information when the depicting method selecting step selects a first depicting method, and depicts the program information such that the display manners set to the user information are layered in order of the priority of the user information registered in the program information when the depicting method selecting step selects a second depicting method.
In the seventh embodiment, in a depicting method selecting step (S17), a depicting method of the program information is selected. For example, in response to an operation by the user, the display method is selected. In a case of a first depicting method, the program information in which the user information is registered is depicted in the display manner set to the user information with the highest priority. In a case of a second depicting method, the program information in which the user information is registered is depicted such that objects having the display manners set to the user information are layered in order of decreasing priority of the user information registered in the program information.
According to the seventh embodiment, it is possible to select whether or not the user information with the highest priority is displayed, or whether or not all the user information are displayed in order of the priorities out of the user information registered in each program information.
An eighth embodiment is a storage medium according to the seventh embodiment, and the depicting step forms an object having the display manner set to the user information having the highest priority and being made equal in height to the other program information when the first depicting method is selected, and forms a layered body in which objects having display manners set to the user information are layered in order of the priority from a top as the program information in which the user information are registered when the second depicting method is selected.
In the eighth embodiment, in a case of the first depicting method, the respective program information are formed in the objects having the same height, and as the program information in which the user information are registered, an object having the display manner set to the user information having the highest priority is formed. Furthermore, in a case of the second depicting method, as the program information in which user information are registered, a layered body in which objects having display manners set to the user information are layered in order of the priority from a top as the program information is formed. Accordingly, it is possible to easily execute depicting the program information by the first depicting method and the second depicting method.
A ninth embodiment is a program information displaying apparatus displaying a plurality of program information in tabular form, which comprises a priority setting means, a user information registering means, and a depicting means. The priority setting means sets respective priorities of a plurality of user information. The user information registering means makes a registration of any one of the plurality of user information with respect to any one of the plurality of program information. The depicting means depicts each program information in which the user information is registered on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in the program information.
The ninth embodiment is a program information displaying apparatus corresponding to the program information displaying program of the first embodiment, and has an advantage the same as the above-described first embodiment.
A tenth embodiment is a program information display method for displaying a plurality of program information in tabular form, and includes following steps of: a priority setting step for setting respective priorities of a plurality of user information; a user information registering step for making a registration of any one of the plurality of user information with respect to any one of the plurality of program information; and a depicting step for depicting each program information on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in the program information.
The tenth embodiment is a program information display method corresponding to the storage medium storing a program information displaying program of the first embodiment, and the program information displaying apparatus of the ninth embodiment, and has advantages similar to those of the above-described first embodiment and ninth embodiment.
According to certain example embodiments, it is possible to depict each program information on the basis of the priority of the user information registered in this program information. If a plurality of user information are registered in the program information, the user information registered in the program information are depicted on the basis of the priorities, and therefore, it is possible to readily display the user information registered in the program information, and easily understand the registration condition of the user information with respect to this program information.
The above described objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of embodiment will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.